Policies

Re-Dos & Corrections Policy

It’s not about being perfect when you’re learning. We make mistakes and fix mistakes, which is an important part of the learning process.  In this class, you will have opportunities to redo or make corrections to every assignment.  If you are asked to make corrections to an assignment, you will be notified by an assignment comment in Canvas. Please turn on your Canvas notifications so that you don't miss a comment! 

Attendance Policy

Please know that I prefer to keep students in my class. I do not want to drop even one student! So if you fall behind, please contact me as soon as possible. We'll work together to get you caught up.

For Face-To-Face Classes: Coming to class is crucial to your success.  I expect to see you every week. Please let me know if you will be absent ahead of time if possible. You can speak to me about your absence in class or send me a message on Canvas. If you are absent unexpectedly or you miss several classes, I will check in on you.  More than four absences may result in you being dropped from the course. 

For Online Classes: To count as your attendance during the first week and to avoid being dropped, be sure to log into the course and complete the assignments in the orientation unit. I will check in on you if you forget to participate.  Assignments will be due weekly on Canvas.  To avoid being dropped, it is important for you to log in and complete work regularly.  If you do not make progress for four or more consecutive days (including weekends), I'll be emailing you to check in and help you re-engage with the course.

Late Work Policy

The need to turn in late work occurs for a variety of reasons.  The important thing is to talk to me about it so that I can support you. If you know that you are going to be absent or an emergency arises, please let me know and see if it is possible to turn in an assignment early or make it up on a different day.  

Homework will be due every week.  The best learning experience is one in which you keep pace with the posted due dates on Canvas.  Keeping pace helps you to digest the material with deeper understanding.  If you are not keeping up with the class, I will contact you to see how I can support you in this effort.  

With the understanding that keeping up with the work is what is best going to support your learning, I understand that life happens and sometimes it is not possible to get something done by the due date. Don’t be worried if you miss something. Please send me a message and we can discuss a plan to get you back on track.

Campus Code of Conduct

Cuyamaca College students are bound by the Student Code of Conduct. In this course, cheating, plagiarism, fraud and/or lying may result in a grade of “F” for the assignment/test with no make-up work permitted. Any of these infractions may also result in formal disciplinary action by the Associate Dean of Student Affairs as described in the Student Code of Conduct.

Class Etiquette & Communication Practices

Often referred to as "netiquette," here is a gentle reminder of the interaction practices and rules we'll follow in all our interactions in this course.  If you ever feel that someone is not following these rules, please send a message to me and describe your concerns.

Student Guidelines for Anti-Racist Discussion

1. Name the discomfort: The fastest way to dispel discomfort is to address it head on. If you are feeling uncomfortable with a topic, name what you are feeling! Labeling and bringing emotions out into the open allows them to be examined with a more objective eye; you are then observing your emotion, not being controlled by it.

2. Your impact is everything: Stating intentions early can help avoid misunderstandings. However, if a peer is hurt by something you did or said, your intention is no longer the focus; the impact of your words or actions is more important. Apologize if you harmed someone, accept feedback graciously, and decide how you want to learn from it.

3. Keep a learner's mindset: Seek to understand, before being understood. Your experience is valid and real, but that does not make it universal. In response to a new concept or difficult feedback, think: “I am grateful to have received this new information and can now choose how I want to integrate and use this information.”

4. Use sound academic arguments: Refer back to the text: When attempting to make a statement that is not from direct and immediate personal experience, it should always be backed by an academic resource.

   • Discuss like a scholar: Be cautious of generalizations and unsupported claims, be wary of logical fallacies, and watch for misleading data.

   • Check your sources: What are the biases present in the sources you have cited? What are the sources of their data?

   • Form complete rhetorical arguments: When making a claim, use logic and back up your assertions with evidence.

5. Use appropriate language: In this class, there is a zero-tolerance policy for overt racist language and abusive terms. In this class we also avoid terms that are anachronistic, and update your language as you learn: some terms may have been acceptable in the past but are no longer respectful terms.

6. Make all voices heard: Look around the room; do most people look like you? If so, how can you make sure less represented groups are represented in the discussion? Before speaking up, ask, “Does saying something add something critical to the discussion, or does it take an opportunity away from an under-represented voice?”

   • Ask your classmates what they think! Outside of creating a space for peers to speak, nominating (naming) peers in discussion also has a huge positive impact on engagement and builds a stronger community.

Hate-Free Zone

In our classroom, each student should feel free to express their own opinion and ideas in a respectful manner. Students should be open to listening to and appreciating differences in opinions, life experiences, worldviews, values/beliefs, etc. Our class is a hate-free zone. Please be mindful of how you communicate your values, beliefs, ideas, opinions, etc. While we will often disagree with other people, it does not give anyone the right to intentionally hurt others with words or to discriminate against them. Words matter. Therefore, take a moment to think about what you want to say or post in the chat/discussion board.

View a text-only version of The Core Rules of Netiquette in a new window.